Love, Love Me Do
by redrider6612
Summary: One shot CHC entry based on a Beatles song duh! nothin' but fluff!  Okay,so overwhelming demand has made this a two shot.  Word of warning: be careful what you ask for!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a CHC (Conversing Harts Challenge) entry that I started to write a month (or maybe two) ago. I found it this afternoon, and since I hate to leave things unfinished and musie was feeling particularly fluffy, I decided to finish it. It may seem a bit odd due to the challenge requirements that had to be met, but it turned out nice and fluffy and I wanted to share it. Hope you like it.**

LOVE, LOVE ME DO

Brennan approached the bar in Wong Foos cautiously. Booth was hunched there, idly toying with the remains of a piece of apple pie. She could tell by the tension in his back that he was still brooding over the case they'd just wrapped up. Laying the manila folder on the bar, she slid onto the barstool next to him and thanked Syd for the ice cream sundae he set in front of her. Booth glanced her way. "Hi, Bones," he said quietly, and took a sip of his coffee.

Brennan smiled at him. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He pushed the pie away. "Yeah." He sighed and ran a hand around the back of his neck. "I hate it when a case ends like that." He sipped his lukewarm coffee. When he set it down, Syd was there to warm it up.

"Want some of my sundae? It'll make you feel better," she promised with a half smile. Spooning up the first bite of chocolate sundae, she offered it to him. After a moment, he took it, his eyes locked on hers as he savored it. Dipping the spoon again, she put a bite into her own mouth, holding his steady gaze. His eyes dropped to her lips, where a drop of chocolate syrup hung. He caught it with his thumb and rubbed it across her bottom lip. Her breath hitched and her tongue darted out reflexively to lick it up. Booth forgot to breathe as he saw a blush move up her neck and spread over her face, her pupils dilating. Get your mind out of the gutter, Booth, he scolded himself. She's your partner.

She looked away, trying to steady her racing heart. Did Booth just flirt with me? she wondered, stunned. She risked a glance his way. He was back to sipping his coffee like nothing had happened. His act was so convincing she began to wonder if she had imagined it.

She finished the sundae and wiped her mouth. She looked over to find Booth watching her. Smiling uncertainly, she tapped the folder. "I brought the file so we can finish up the paperwork."

Booth winced. "Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm really not in the mood."

Brennan nodded. "Sure, sorry, I just thought while it's all fresh in our minds—"

"My notes will do fine. Right now I want to go home, put on a Beatles CD and relax. Wanna come along?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Brennan was watching him curiously. "Uh, okay, sounds great." She wasn't sure why she'd agreed, except that she really didn't want to go home to her empty apartment.

BBBBBBBB

They sat on the couch, each mired in their own turbulent thoughts. Booth had put in his Beatles CD as promised and 'Penny Lane' was playing. Booth broke the awkward silence. "Something to drink?"

Brennan's head snapped toward him. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, iced tea if you have it."

He jumped up, obviously glad to have a reason to leave the room. 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' began as he returned and handed her a glass of iced tea. He sat down with a beer.

"I guess I should have asked you if you like the Beatles," he commented with a grin.

She set her tea on the end table after taking a sip. "Yes, many of their songs are vignettes of that time period. The lyrics are really interesting."

Booth rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Bones. Do you have to analyze everything? Can't you just relax and enjoy the blend of the instruments and voices?"

She frowned. "Music is a key anthropological indicator. The music a person listens to tells a lot about their personality and core beliefs."

The CD changed again. This time it was 'Love Me Do'. Booth's grin became huge. "I love this one." He hummed along for a few bars and then suddenly jumped up. "C'mon, dance with me," he coaxed with his best charm smile.

She looked up at him. She wasn't sure dancing with him was a good idea, but that smile was irresistible. Putting her hand in his, she let him pull her to her feet and into his arms. He started a kind of swing dance that involved stepping back, then forward. He smiled down at her, bursting into song at the chorus. She laughed throatily. He had definitely shed the bad mood from earlier.

"Love, love me do, you know I love you…" he sang, looking into her eyes with that sexy smile. She joined on the next part.

"So ple-e-e-ease, love me do," she sang, unable to stop smiling. By the time the song was over, she was breathless with exhilaration. He could be so charming. Suddenly there was an awkward silence. That was the last song on the CD. They stood there for a moment, hands still linked, eyes locked as their breathing slowly returned to normal.

Booth couldn't seem to stop looking at her. Her eyes were sparkling and there was a flush in her cheeks and a smile curved her lips. Her lips. His gaze lingered there and suddenly he was drawing her towards him. She didn't resist, though her smile faded as a small frown wrinkled her brow. When they were inches apart, he stopped, giving her every opportunity to turn away.

Brennan stood there breathlessly, mesmerized by the warmth in his eyes and his soft smile. Then he was leaning down and her heart stopped. 'He's going to—kiss me?' was her last coherent thought before his lips met hers and her world exploded around her. His lips were softer than she had thought they would be. He nibbled at her lips and she opened them. When his tongue slipped in her knees almost buckled. She'd never been kissed like that before, like she was the sweetest thing he'd ever tasted. His arms caught her and she clutched at his upper arms, trying to find her balance, which was impossible as his mouth continued to do incredible things to her senses.

Finally, an insistent little voice in her head broke through the haze. 'Stop this, Tempe. He's your partner. This is going to ruin everything. You have to stop. You're the logical one, the 'head' person, you have to be the voice of reason.' She pulled away, turning and stumbling the length of the couch, trying to get as much distance between them as possible. She glanced at him. Bad idea. He was standing there watching her with those eyes and he was breathing heavily. She wanted to go back and take up where they'd left off, but she controlled herself—barely.

"I've—got to go. Now!" she managed to say, unable to meet his eyes again.

"Yeah," he said hoarsely, turning away and closing his eyes. She sensed he was trying to get control of himself. She followed him to the door and he opened it.

"Well, see you later?" she said to fill the awkward moment at the door.

"Yeah," was all he could say, looking at a point past her shoulder. She smiled a bit and then she was gone. Closing the door behind her, he leaned his forehead on it and groaned. 'Way to go, Booth,' he scolded himself. 'You draw the line and then what do you do? Blow right past it like it's not even there.' He pounded his head against the door several times, calling himself a fool.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Everyone's been begging for a continuation, so here it is. Thanks for the lovely reviews. They made me smile like an idiot.**

Love, Love Me Do

Part 2

Six days passed. They hadn't had a new case, so there hadn't been a reason to see each other, for which each of them was grateful. But Booth knew they needed to talk before a case came in, just to ease any awkwardness. He decided she'd had enough time to analyze the whole situation inside out and up and down and would be able to discuss it rationally. He just hoped he would too.

Knocking at her door at ten on Saturday morning, he put his hands in his pockets and waited patiently. A shadow passed over the peephole, so he knew she had looked to see it was him, but a long moment passed before the door finally opened. She stood there with a wary look on her face.

"Why are you here?" she asked huskily, turning and leaving him to follow her. Booth sighed and came in, closing the door behind him. He had a bad feeling she wasn't going to make this easy.

"We need to talk," he said, following her to the couch. She sat down in the corner, drawing her feet up under herself and wrapping her arms around her legs in a classic defensive pose. Booth sat down on the other end with his body angled toward her. He noticed she had faint shadows under her eyes and wondered if she was having trouble sleeping. Not that she'd ever admit it.

She pursed her lips. "About the kiss," she stated. That was his Bones, direct and to the point. He wished she didn't look so tense.

Booth leaned toward her and she flinched back. "Yes," he said, trying not to be hurt that she seemed to be afraid of him. "It happened, there's no way to erase it, but if we don't talk about it, it's always going to hang there between us."

Her eyes met his and he saw confusion there. "Why did you kiss me? I don't understand. You told me at the carousel that day about the line people who work together shouldn't cross. Did I misunderstand? Weren't you talking about us?" she asked.

He studied her for a long moment, then decided the direct approach was the only way she'd understand. "Look, Bones, there's been this—attraction between us for a long time. And while my mind understands the reasons we can't go there, my body seems to have a will of its own."

Brennan frowned, unfolding her legs and turning towards him, intrigued in spite of herself. "How can your body have a will of its own? The will is a part of the psyche—"

"It's a figure of speech, Bones," he said, frustrated at her tendency to take things literally. "What I'm trying to say is, it was a mistake. We need to forget about it so we can continue to work together."

Her eyes locked with his. "You can do that?" she asked softly.

His lips firmed. "Yeah, I can, for the sake of our partnership," he said unequivocally.

She looked skeptical. "I'm not so sure," she argued. "You can be very emotional, Booth. What if you slip again?"

"Then you can kick my a$$," he said with a wry smile. She smiled in return. "All I know is, our partnership is very important to me, and I don't want this to wreck it."

"So, you don't want a romantic relationship with me?" she asked, just so things were absolutely clear. She didn't want to misunderstand him.

Blowing out a breath, he looked away, uncertain of the best way to answer her. Honesty was best with her, but he didn't know that he wanted to tell her how close he was to saying the hell with it and giving in to his emotions. He tempered his response. "I didn't say that. I do. I'm just saying it's a bad idea. If we were to get involved, it would change the whole dynamics of our partnership and possibly have some disastrous repercussions. That's not even considering the fact that if it didn't work out, we'd find it nearly impossible to go back—"

Her heart had started racing madly at his first words, but slowed again as he went on. Logically, she knew he was right. She was just having a hard time convincing her heart. "I understand, of course you're absolutely right." His gaze came back to lock on hers and he was saddened by the sheen in her eyes. Blinking, she stood up and moved away. "So, I'll—see you later?" she said, refusing to look at him.

He stood and resisted the urge to reach for her. It would only make things worse. "Yeah. I'll come by the lab when the next case comes in." He headed for the door. There was nothing more to say, and he needed to leave before all of his good intentions went out the window. She trailed after him, keeping her distance. He turned at the door to look at her one last time, trying to read her. She looked up at him calmly, and he wondered where the woman who had melted in his arms had gone.

"Bye," she said softly with a faint smile. Her hand was on the doorknob.

'I can do this if she can,' he told himself firmly. "Bye. Take care of yourself," he murmured, his heart breaking a little at the door they were closing.

"I always do," she said, smiling fondly. He turned and walked out and she made herself close the door, resisting the overwhelming urge to watch him walk away. Her heart wouldn't be able to take it.

BBBBBBB

**Okay, yeah, I know, you're probably double checking the name of the writer of this piece. But let me assure you, it's me, Red, and no, aliens haven't abducted me and replaced me with an evil clone. I just felt the need to go this route at least once. All my other fics have them kiss and hash it out and wind up together. Musie didn't want them to end up together this time. She was quite insistent. Every time I tried to write it the other way, the words just wouldn't come. So please, R&R, and if you want some lovely fluff, go read 'The Secret' and 'Secret No More'. Thanks for reading!**


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